Improvement in looms



- 4 sheets-sheet 1. S. T. THOMAS.

LOOM. No. 180,171. Patented July 25,1876.

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4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

S. T. THOMAS.

LO-O M.

Patented July 25,1876. F/G 3 M/z'inesses.

N-VPETERS, PHDTQ-LITNOGIAFMER. WASHINGTON, D C

4Sheets-Sheet3. S. T. THOMAS.

' LOOM. NO- 130,171. Patented July z5,1a7e

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ILPEIERS. PHOTo-LUNOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D C.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

"S. T. THOMAS.

LOOM.

Patente. July Z5, 1876.

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Nly PETHS, PHOTQLITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D c.

ED STATES PATENT SAMUEL T. THOMAS, or BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN LOOYMYS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 180,171, dated July 25, 1876 application filed l March 11, 1875.

loom in case ot' a break in the filling, or theV failure of the shuttle to vmake a pick. The invention relates furtherto a new combination ot' mechanism fora take-up motion.

" rlhe drawing represents a loom, or the-parts of a loom, embodying my invention. y

Figure l Shows the loom-frame and mechanism-in side elevation. Fig. 2 is a plan of one end of the lathe and breast-beam, and the mechanism connected therewith. Fig. 3 shows such mechanism in front elevation. Fig. et is an end view of the same. Fig. 5 shows the weft-feeler and its connections in elevation. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of one end of the lathe, showing the shuttle-binder, protectorrod, and devices for relieving Vthe shuttle. Fig. 7 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. S-is'a plan ot' a portion of the devices for Stopping the loom. Fig. 9 is a front view ot' a portion of the devices for stopping the loom. Fig. l0 is a Similar view to that ot' Fig. 3, but showing the position ofthe boxes and box-rod.

a denotes the frame of they loom; b, the crank-shaft; c, the lathe; d, the breast-beam 5 c, one of the picker-staffs. of the lathe l fasten a plate, f, between which and the lathe 1 place a weftfeeler, g, this feeler being so arranged as to be capable of a slight vertical movement, and also ofa tipping or tilting movement, in the plane of the front face ofthe lathe. When raised, the upper end of the feeler extends beyond the top of the lathe, or into the path ot' the selvageloop made by the pick ot weft. The feeler is so hung that when the loop strikes its top it tips it, and thus passes over it; but it' no loop meets it the lower end ot' the feeler will be in f position to strike a hook as the lathe beats whereupon the spring of the lever actuates it- On the i'ront sidel to stop the loom. The application ot' this tiltin'g-feeler to the lathe, and the mechanism connected therewith to operate it, constitute a principal part ot' my invention.

The feeler is shown as pivoted bypin h to an ear, t', extending from a slotted slide, k, sliding vertically on pins l. The bottom ot' said slide extends below the lathe and into the path ot movement of al1 incline, m, on a bar,

a, projecting from the vbreast-beam. The

weight ot' the lower end of the feeler tends to hold the feeler in vertical position, and at each beat back 'ot' the lathe the incline raises the slide 7c, and thereby projects the top of the feeler above the plane ot' the shuttle-race, the

feeler falling by gravity when the lathe beats p is thrown forward by a shuttle, is in line' with the lower part wot' the bent pin a, extending from a hook, c, while the other prong, m, thereof is in line with the upper part t ot' said pin, when the armp is thrown back by itsspring. The hook c is pivoted to a bar, y, which is pivoted at z, and whose outer end is extended beyond the shipper-lever a2. 'Said lever, by back movement of the bar y, being released from its notch b2, is then thrown outward by its spring to Stop the loom.

The prongs s x come into position to operate the pin u ot' the hook t just before the `lathe reaches the Vtermination of its beatingup movement, and it' the shuttle is in the box' will catch upon the -feel-er, which is thrown up I by the incline m before the shuttle is thrown, or while the shuttle is in Hight, tipping the feeler and thereby preventing it from catching the hook; but if the weft be broken or the shuttle fails to be thrown, then the feeler remains vertical, and its lower end catching upon the hook draws back the hook and with it the bar i, the bar dislodging the shipperlever and stopping the loom, such stoppage occurring while the lathe is on its back motion, and thus preventing the lathe from beating up the broken end of the pick.

As the lathe beats up, the feeler falls as soon as the slide 7c passes the incline, thereby clearing the idle weft-threads. Theprong s is employed to throw the hook e over, so that its notchj (see Figs. 8 and 9) shall not be in line with feeler g when the shuttle is thrown from the opposite shuttle-box, and theref'ore not operating on feeler g, with its weft-thread, and this prong s operates for this purpose against the part t ofthe bent pin u as the lathe beats up, when, in the absence of the shuttle,. the arm P is thrown back by its spring, as above described. i

This mechanism being duplicated at the opposite end of the lathe, the loom will be stopped by breakage ofthe weft prior to the flight ot' a shuttle in either direction, and will be stopped on the back beat of the lathe instead of as the lathe beats up toward the filling, or after the broken weft is beat in. It will be observed that the entrance of the shuttle into its box throws out the arm P, and brings the prong a' into position to actuate the hook as the lathe beats up, to in turn position it for engagement with the feeler as the lathe beats back, which engagement must .take place unless the loop of weft tips the feeler, or, in other words, must take place and arrest the loom if the weft be broken, or if the shuttle be not thrown. As the arm at either end of the lathe springs back as soon as the shuttle back oi'it leaves its box, the fork adjacent to an empty shuttle-box, or to the box left by the iiyi'ng shuttle, isalways left in position to so place the adjacent hook as to escape the adjacent teeler; hence the loom is stopped only by the absence of the weft at the time the shuttle is or should be thrown.

Beneath the breastbeam is the take-up ratchet c2. This ratchet I operate by a series of impelling-pawls, d2 czfz, for which there is a corresponding series of detainer-pawls, 9211.2 i2. Thus, it' there are three teeth, they are placed at such distances apart that when one pawl is in engagement withthe ratchet another will be distant from the shoulder of a ratchet-tooth one-third of its length', whilethe third will be distant two-thirds of the length ofthe tooth from the shoulder in front of it.

By this provision minute changes maybe made in the take-up, the fractional teeth insuring the proper movement of the ratchet for this purpose. i

The impelling-pawls are jointed by an arm,

k2, of a pawl-lever, L2, fulcrumed on thepin` upon which the ratchetis mounted, said lever having another arm, m2, to which is jointed a said rod being either reciprocated or moved in one or the opposite direction by the lathe, the rod passing through an eye, o2, of a plate fixed to the lathe. Thispart ofthe mechanism relates to the take-u p produced by using on said rod n2 acollar,p2, placedin front ofthe eye o2, and a weight, r2, hung upon an arm, s2, of the pawl-lever, (see Figs. l and 4,) the ratchet in such case being positively moved, but the pawls slipping back only as caused by the stress ofthe weight.

Such an arrangement is used for weaving with alternately coarse and tine lling, and to automatically vary the take-up in accordance with such change in the lling,'I employ a shaft, u2, turning in bearings, and having arms v2 wz, one extendingmnder the rod nand the other out from the loom. The outer arm w21 connect to the box-rod, so that by the vertical movements ofthe box-rod, to position the respective shuttles, the arm w2 is raised orlowered, thereby raising or lowering the inner arm e2, and carrying it into or from the line of movement of an arm, :02, extending from the rod a2, this arm being so positioned as to strike the arm ezwhen the box-rod is so moved as to bring into the line of the shuttle-race a box containing a shuttle with tine weft, and the arm 'u2 intercepting the arm m2 upon the rod a2, so that the take-up is less to the extent reing which on the rod n2 the time of contact of the arms may be varied, and thereby the movement of the pawl-lever, as the size of the weft-yarn may require. i i

To relieve the shuttle from the pressure of the shuttle-binder, just before the shuttle is driven out of its box, I employ the simple and effective mechanism shown in Figs. 6 and 7. Upon the lathe-pitman I attach the curved bar r3, through which the pitman-pin passes, and farther back it is rigidly bolted to the pitman, so that it forms, in connection with the pitman, a curved lever, fulcrumed on the pitman-pin, and worked by the crank-shaft. On the rod t3 is secured a lever, s3, which extends back under the lathe and abovedthe end of bar r3. `When the lathe has completed its extreme forward movement, and beaten up the weft, the pitman and its crank are in line with each other, and the end ot' bar r3 is in slight contact with the lever s3. Now, as the rotation of the crank-shaft continues the back end ofthe pitman drops during a quarterrevolution, while its front end, with the bar attached, turns on the pitman-pin as a fulcrum, and the bar r3 is thereby caused to press up under and raise the end of lever s3, which lever thereby turns the rod t3, to which it is attached, and the bent arm o3 of said rod is thus thrown oit' from the shuttle-binder,a11d the shuttle is relieved from pressure at the moment the picker-staff sends it out ot' its box. As soon, however, as the crank shaft has passed said downward quarter of a revolution, the bar r3 and lever s3 are again separated, and the protector-rod t3 is free to act by force of its spring x3 upon the shuttle-binder as the shuttle enters its opposite box.

WhfttI claim its my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with the shuttle-binder 2. In combination with the lathe and the shuttle-box rod, the shaft u2, provided with the arms @2 wz, rod n2, collar p2, arm m2, and paWl-leverlz1 by which means the throw of the take-up paWls is limited7 as and 4for the and weft-feeler g, pivoted upon the front of purposes set forth. the lathe, the arm p and the fork s w, pivoted rod o, the hook o, provided with bent piu e, and the pivoted bar y, all constructed to 0perate as shown and described, whereby the 100m is stopped in the backward movement of the lathe.

ySAMUEL T. THOMAS.

Witnesses EBEN HUToHINsoN, EUGENE HUMPHREY. 

